Friday, June 26, 2015

~Japan Week~ Day 4: Holidays, Customs, and Fashion

Today we have learned about different Japanese holidays like New Year's, Valentine's Day, White Day, and Obon. Valentine's Day in Japan is different from what we know here in the states. In Japan Girls give boys chocolate on Valentine's Day. Then on White Day boys give girls chocolate in return. Japan is very much a reciprocating society. Obon is originally a Buddhist holiday where they believe that our deceased ancestors come back to visit family members. On this day, those that choose to, set up shrines and pray for their dearly departed family and friends, hoping that their thoughts and words of love have been heard.

We also learned the proper bowing and sitting positions. Seri will show it here:

When I went through the different fashion trends with her she was astounded and of course leaned more toward the cutesy and frilly styles. Japan is known for having crazy and eccentric styles. Everyday you'll meet someone who looks as if they are dressed for Halloween. I enjoy the quirky, probably not surprising...

Seri decided to wear this as her interpretation of "Kawaii/Princess style." Kawaii means cute or adorable.

I made sure to teach Serenity that Japan is a country that values hard work and respect. They even have a system of greetings and social norms when dealing with elders or people of higher status. They address them differently and bow more deeply when speaking to them. A bow to a Japanese person is like a hand shake to us.

Check back in tomorrow as we finish up Japanese week with: Demographics and Weather. I will also quiz her to see what she was able to retain during the week!